Adjustable brace for doors or gates and cover for same.



PATENT'ED SEPT. 29, 1903.

5Q smznns. v B6B DOORS ORGATES AND COVER FOR SAME. APPLIGATION FILED FEB. 20, 1903.

ADJUSTABLE BEACH no man.

UNITED STATES Patented September 29, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

1 JOHN SHIELDS, 0 DALLAS, TEXAS.

ADJUSTABLE BRACE FOR DOORS OR GATES AND COVER FORSAME.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 740,383, dated September 29, 1903.

Application filed February 20, 1903. Serial No. 144,310. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern.-

B'eit known that I, JOHN SHIELDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Braces for Doors or Gates and Covers for Same; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact descrip-' tion of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it 'appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in adjustable braces for use in preventing the sagging of swinging doors, gates, or the like and also an improved cover for the same, which invention will be understood by refer- Arepresents the door, having theedge strip A next the hinges O, by which it is connected to the frame 13. Owing to the weight of the door, its edges or and u. have a tend ency to swing over to theposition indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, thus striking either the frame or the door-sill and causing the door to jam or even prevent closing of the same.

adjustable brace D, comprising the vertical member D and the foldable members D and.

D In the drawings I have illustrated D and D as hinged together and the member 'D hinged at its lower end to the member D;

but it is obvious that any other suitable ar- Fig. 3 is a perspective view of acover I My invention is intended to remedy, this trouble, and for this purpose I use an When the adjustable brace is applied, it will only be necessaryt-o lift up forcibly on the knob of the door or to force a wedge between the door and the door-sill beneath the knob until the door is brought to the proper position, when the head (1 of the member D will engage one of the teeth d and will hold the door in the properposition.

To protect the brace and add an ornamental feature thereto, the same may be inclosed in-an ornamental bracket or cover, such as that shown in Fig. 3. This cover is composed of two parts F and H, which are free to slide upon each other along the edge H. The member F is provided with a face-plate F, having lugs with screw-holes f therein, and these lugs are placed between the member D ofthe adjustable brace and the strip A of the door, and the same screws or nails pass through the holes (1' and f, thus securing both the brace and its cover to the door. In the same way the upper memberH is provided with a face-plate H having lugs H and screw-holes h arranged to be secured between the member D of the adj nstable brace and the cross-piece A of the door.

Since this bracket or cover-will project beyond the face of the door, I preferably make the same ornamental in form, and the upper member H may be further utilized as a mailbox. Thus it may have a bottom plate 11, and the front plate H may be hinged thereto, as at h, and provided with a lock h 7 The face-plate H may be slotted, as at 72. like an ordinary mail-box. Thus it will be seenthat I provide an automatically-adjustable brace which corrects the sagging down of doors and also an appropriate cover for the same which may be used as an ornamental mail-box or as a card-receiver. I do not confine myself to any particular form or shape of bracket or cover or of any particular material out of which the same may be made.

It will be obvious that should the door sag on the hinge side or tip up on the knob side the brace may be placed above the crosspiece of the door, and the outer edge of the door may be wedged or weighed down until 100 the brace engages and holds it in the desired position.

It will be obvious that the same device whether with or without the cover may be applied to gates, wire screens, or the like swinging barriers.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination with aswinging door or gate, having a Vertical upright piece to which thehinges are secured, and havinga horizontal cross-piece, of an adjustable brace,having a horizontal member secured to the crosspiece of the door and provided with teeth on the under side thereof, a vertical member foldably connected to the horizontal member and secured to the vertical piece of the door, and a third member foldably connected to the vertical member and having its free end adapted to engage said teeth, with a spring under tension connecting said second and said third members, substantially as described.

2. In an adjustable brace for doors and the like, the combination with two members hinged together and adapted to be fastened to the door at an angle with each other, the first of which members is provided with teeth, of a third member hinged-to the second and having its free end adapted to engage said teeth, a spring under tension connecting the second and third members, and 'a cover secured to the door over said adjustable brace protecting the same, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a swinging dooror gate, having a vertical upright piece to which the hinges are secured, and having a horizontal cross-piece, of an adjust-able brace, having a horizontal member secured to the crosspiece of the door and provided with teeth on the under side thereof, a vertical member hinged to the horizontal member and secured to the vertical piece of the door, and a third. member hinged to the vertical member and having its free end adapted to engage said teeth, with a spring under tension connecting said second and said third members, and a cover secured to the door over said adjustable brace protecting the same, substantially as described.

4:. In an adjustable brace for doors and the like, the combination with two members hinged together and adapted to be fastened to the door at an angle with each other, the first of which members'is provided with teeth, of a third member hinged to the second and having its free end adapted to engage said teeth, a spring under tension connecting the second and third members, and a cover composed of two partseach in the form of a sector secured to the door over said brace, the upper sector of said cover being provided with a slot and a door, and serving both as a cover and a rmail-box, substantially as described. V A

5. The combination with aswinging door or gate, having a vertical upright piece to which the hinges are secured, and having a horizontal cross-piece, of an adjustable brace, having a horizontal member secured to thecrosspiece of the door and provided with teeth on the under side thereof, a vertical member hinged to the horizontal member and secured to the vertical piece of the door, and a third member hinged to the vertical member and having its free end adapted to engage said teeth, with aspring under tension connecting said second and said third members, and a cover composed of two parts, each in the form of a sector secured to the door, the upper sector of said cover being provided with a slot and a door and serving both as a cover and a mail-box, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN SHIELDS.

Witnesses:

HESTHA BURNEY, J. N. McLEAN. 

